13 Comments

I loved Ferdinand too. It always resonated with me even as a small child. I am envious that you're able to escape this rat race for a better structured way to be.

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It was a lot of upheaval to get here as a family of four with a big dog, but it was the right decision for us. As for the rat race, it's rough out there. It certainly took a bite out of me. My hope is that the kids will continue transform the workplace into something more humane. Gen Z kids are so not willing to die for the office and I love them for that!

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I love this one.

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Thank you! And thank you for subscribing.

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One of my favorite childhood books too! And for years, I had a small rubber model of Ferdinand from the 1930's probably a Disney product. I think his little tail finally broke off one day. Little did I know how much Ferdinand must have taken root and resided in my mind and spirit. I have spoken and written about our identity being so much more than what we do. I tried to shift the question, usually one of the first asked from "What do you do?" to "Who are you?" In later years the question is in the past tense, "What did you do?" And this: Work is what you care about the most. A job is what you have to do to get to your work. More on that in other places....

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I don’t know that I get asked ‘what do you do’ ever… that said, I do feel like 75% of my life is eaten up by work and I don’t know how to change that (the bills! the mortgage!)… everything gets more expensive every day!

I hate it.

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It's impossible. If I had three wishes, one would be about this. I would wish that capitalism supported people in doing the work felt called to do. Because it not only benefits the person, it benefits capitalism.

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I can't imagine living in a place where it's rare to hear the question, "what do you do?" This is also, my least favorite question to answer -- the one that makes my stomach tie into a knot and my usually fairly eloquent speech come out bumbling and stumbling. Sweden sounds great, but I need to live with Black people. I'm still seeking the answer to that question.

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I never liked the question! It reduced me to a job and I am not a job. Why don't you like it? And yes, Sweden is not very diverse. It's one of the things I miss most about the U.S.

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I want a copy of Ferdinand the Bull!

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Completely engaging and packed with so many things that make me suddenly want to travel and perhaps move. Yeah, capitalism—in a nutshell. Happy to be part of the Laura Society. xo

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Very happy to have you!

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